THOMAS (TOM) ALAN BROSIUS
Thomas (Tom) Alan Brosius, age 69, entered into rest on January 11, 2019, in Manhattan, KS after a nine-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He was born December 16, 1949, in Tacoma Park, Maryland to Bertram (Bert) Schaeffer Brosius and Helen Louise James Brosius.
He was an altar boy at St. Michael’s of the Archangel church in Silver Spring, MD and attended St. Michael’s Elementary school. He graduated from Springbrook High School in 1968, where he had a very successful football, wrestling, where he was a state champion, and track career. He held the Maryland state high school discus record for 33 years and still holds the shot put record to this day. He was inducted into the Springbrook High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. Following high school, Tom received a full scholarship to Kansas State University for Football and Track. He met his wife, Karen Elizabeth Mosher Brosius, there and they married August 8, 1971. His sports success continued in college. He won the Big 8 discus and outdoor shot put and went to the Olympic trials for shot and discus in 1972. He won the Big 8 indoor and outdoor shot put in 1973, ending his career as an All-American athlete.
Tom went on to coach football and track while teaching Biology and drivers’ education at Pleasanton high school. Tom and Karen then moved to Concordia, KS where Tom impacted the lives of countless students over the next 30 years. He taught physical education to elementary and middle school students, drivers’ education, 7th, and 8th-grade technology, coached football, track, and Cloud County Community College track. He also pursued a passion for flying and was a certified flight instructor at Cloud County Community College. On top of all this, Tom & Karen created a very successful mobile DJ business called Mainstream Sound, known for its incredible light show and Tom’s ability to always get students onto the dance floor.
In 2004, Tom’s father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Tom retired and found a home in Manhattan, KS to move in with his parents, so he could help take care of them. He taught elementary PE, 9th-grade health, drivers’ education, and coached track during his time in Manhattan.
Tom has coached many state track champions and received many coaching awards and honors, the latest being Kansas High School Assistant Track Coach of the year in 2018.
Tom also had many hobbies during his life. He loved to ride motorcycles and was very happy to finally get his dream, Harley. He also loved to water ski, mountain bike, hike, tandem bike, play disc golf, sail, and take joy rides in his airplane. He had a life-long passion for music and played in many bands throughout his life. He loved jamming with his bluegrass friends in his later years and spent much of his retirement traveling around to local bluegrass events. He was known to engineer solutions if he couldn’t find what he wanted – inventing many things that his friends and family enjoy to this day.
He was preceded in death by his parents; Bert and Helen.
He is survived by his wife, Karen of Manhattan; his daughter Andra Schroeder and her husband Aaron, of Manhattan, his daughter LeAnn Brosius, of Manhattan, one grandson, Ethan Schroeder; and his sister Ann Leach and her husband, Doug, of South Lake Tahoe, CA.
The visitation and vigil will be at Carlson's Irvin Parkview Funeral home in Manhattan, KS on January 17 starting at 6 p.m. The funeral service will be held at Seven Dolors Catholic Church in Manhattan, KS on January 18 at 10 a.m.
Memorials may be sent to the Johnson Cancer Research Center at Kansas State University and will be used to further research in support for early pancreatic cancer detection. If pancreatic cancer can be detected before it is stage IV, lives will be saved.
To make a gift online, go to www.ksufoundation.org/give/memorials, enter an amount and then check the “Specify a designation” box and choose “Brosius, Thomas Memorial Fund”. Contributions may also be sent to: KSU Foundation 1800 Kimball Ave Ste 200 Manhattan, KS 66502. Include fund M47240.